Activation of a mobile communication device (MCD) on a network refers to a process by which the device is associated with a user who is authorized to access the network. Activation also provides a means by which the network and the mobile communication device exchange the configuration and/or routing information necessary for successful communications. During activation, the network may provide the MCD with access to multiple services, such as email, browsing and calendar management. These services can be provided via applications downloaded to the MCD or by providing the configuration information necessary to access programs or websites available via another network, such as the Internet. The network may also provide synchronization of data on the MCD, e.g. emails and calendar events, with corresponding data available on an associated desktop computer or an associated account on a server or with data associated with one or more of the services. Each of the provided services may require separate configuration and routing information to be exchanged with the mobile communication device. Additionally, each of these services may have associated data sources that are provided to the mobile communication device so that the information available to the user on the MCD is synchronized with the information from other sources. For example, an email application may pre-populate the MCD with data that includes the user's contact list and a given number, i.e., 100, of the most recent emails in the user's mailbox to initially synchronize the mailbox on the MCD with the regular mailbox associated with the user. Similarly, a calendar application may populate the MCD with data that includes calendar items and reminders that are currently on the user's calendar to synchronize the two calendar instances. For a given user, the quantity of configuration information and data downloaded during activation may be substantial.
Activation may be performed over a wired connection, such as a physical connection between the MCD and the user's desktop computer or one or more services or applications, but may also be performed over a wireless connection. From time to time, after a particular MCD has been activated with a user's applications and services, it may be desirable to provide the services and applications on a different MCD. For non-limiting examples, the user may choose to obtain a new MCD or to switch between MCDs, or an activated MCD may be lost or stolen, requiring a replacement MCD. When this occurs, the different or replacement MCD must itself be activated and provided with the same information as the original MCD. When the new or replacement MCD is wirelessly activated, the quantity of information that must be provided to the MCD may cause difficulties, particularly if the MCD is being serviced by a network other than the user's home network, as may occur for example when the user is traveling.